SFX:

• Completed customization of SFX Version 3, which went live on August 1, 2005. It includes a new menu interface, new services, and a revised Citation Linker page with better title searching.
• ITD staff completed three rounds of usability testing total, investigating user response to the wording, design, and functionality of the menus and Citation Linker.
• Updated the Find It FAQ, which is linked to from most campuses' Find It menus and made campus-specific changes to the Citation Linker pages and services on each campus's Find It menu.
• Set up linking to ILLiad from SFX for UMES.
• Loaded titles without ISSNs into College Park's SFX Knowledgebase. Investigating loading these into the Research Port e-journals list.

ResearchPort:

• Continued investigating changes with MetaLib 3.13 and planning implementation. Changes will be mainly to make RP work better.
• Resolved any ongoing MDL or USMAI database access issues following renewal.

Aleph:

• Database Loaders: Designed and began implementation of structural changes to the loader software architecture to support the needs of upcoming loaders such as NetLibrary, sfx to the Catalog and Marcive e-serials.
• Database cleanup: cleaned up CP dissertation/thesis call numbers; changed holdings and items in support of CIS move at UMCP.
• EDI: Frostburg is now in production with EDI serial invoicing. Continued to research EDI ordering processes and workflow. The part of the workflow where the order is sent to the vendor from Aleph has been tested between St. Mary's and Yankee Book Peddlar.
• Data Warehouse/Reporting - Skeleton data warehouse has been built in ITD's development area. Table structures have been defined and documented. Researching/developing framework for the extraction and load program.
• Keeping Aleph up to date: since July we have installed 5 Service Packs, which are a collection of software fixes in Aleph. We are close to being current on Version 16.
• PPH: Made holds move immediately if item becomes unavailable (based on Item Processing Status).
• Reports: Sample of reports created since mid-July: Delinquent cash report (HSHSL); transactions by fund for gifts (Towson); Overdue reserves (Morgan); items marked "reported missing" (UB); Government Documents on microfiche (FSU); items sent to the Bindery (UMCP); many more.
• Year-End Processing: Completed all campuses Acquisitions' Year-End Process.
• PAC: fixed navigational buttons on Call number browse screen.
• Authorities: Began research

Electronic Resource Licensing:

• Chronicle of Higher Education subscription live for all campuses.

Personnel:

• Training: Heidi Hanson, Laura Wrubel, and Sheila Hadley attended a half-day seminar at Salisbury University on Web Accessibility.
• New GA's Justin Grimes and Sheila Hadley began working with the E-Content Team.
• Search has begun for a Web Applications Programmer that will be shared with UMCP. The job announcement is available at: http://www.uhr.umd.edu/jobposting/cgi-bin/empCONII.idc#111656
• Dave Kennedy continues to serve on the NAAUG/Ex Libris Staff Permissions focus group.

OffSite Shelving: Wrote a program to support the upcoming move of the Moravia materials.

ILL: 2 problems with ILLiad interaction with Aleph Z39.50 were addressed and corrected. For more info, see Aleph RX 580. Finalized pricing for consortial Illiad license. Specifying the test and live Windows servers to support Illiad.

Authentication: Continued to research and work on Shibboleth. EZProxy services were moved to standard port numbers is assist users with problems accessing EZProxy on high port numbers by local routers and firewalls.

Patron Loader: Work on UMCP's new patron load format is complete (except for one small problem with the formatting of on-campus addresses); UMCP is now emailing recall notices; Towson is now emailing recall, overdue and lost notices; UMBC is getting ready to expand the number of notices that they email. Added local i.d. to the patron loader process for St. Mary's. This field is being used by a number of campuses.

Infrastructure: Received replacement equipment for live and test Aleph, etc. Began installation of hardware.

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